Pierce Kelly has a good life.
He’s the owner of a successful business and also has a wonderful
family. But there’s a piece to his puzzle that has yet to fall into
place. Disheartened, he takes a trip to Vegas, hoping it will help him clear
his mind. When the legendary bright lights of the city do nothing but frustrate
him further, he goes off on his own and unknowingly finds what he
didn’t even know he was
missing.

Ruby Russo’s life is
a nightmare. She’s the only daughter of one of the most influential
men in Las Vegas. It comes with a price… constantly being forced to
be a pawn in her father’s game. Just when she thinks she’s
about to be free of his wrath, Ruby finds that her personal hell is far from
over; in fact, it’s just begun. She escapes for the evening to the
only place she’s ever found solace but learns that she’s
not alone.

Neither believes in love at
first sight, but Pierce and Ruby bond on a level unimaginable the moment their
eyes connect. Their optimism is quickly shattered when Ruby is forced to leave
Pierce without an explanation. He returns home alone, where he continues living
with a void that only she can fill.

When they finally find each
other after years of loneliness, they discover that their lives are entwined
deeper than just
love.

“You keep saying
that,” I whisper.

“Saying
what?”

“Especially,”
I turn on my side and prop my head with an arm under my neck.
“Why?”

He
leans forward and grabs my free hand. It astounds me that even after I was
freaked out a second ago he manages to calm me without even knowing. His
fingers trail up and down my arm for a minute before he answers me.

“You don’t
even have a clue, do you?”

“About
what?”

“What
you do to me. How badly I want to… how badly I want you. I want your
smiles, your kisses, your body, your heart. I want to go to sleep at night
holding you and having you know that you’re safe; because
there’s something that you’re afraid of. I want to know why
you’re scared so I can chase your demons away.” He smiles
at the shock on my face. “It’s okay, I know it sounds
crazy. I’m fully aware how insane I sound, but Ruby… there’s
something about you. Only you. Especially
you.”

As soon as I realize my mouth
is hanging open I close it and process what he just said. Does it sound a bit
much? Sure, but I know how he feels. Because when he’s around, he
makes me feel safe. If I was able, I’d take any hurt away from him,
too

“Pierce… I
appreciate that you have this want to protect me, but I’m fine.
I’m a little on edge because of something that happened and
I’m learning how to deal with certain things, but I’m just
not there yet.”

“I
can wait.”

“I don’t
want you to have to wait for me to be normal because I don’t know if
I’ll ever be that
girl.”

“I don’t
care. Any second I spend with you makes me a better person. It makes me want to
be so much more… I want to be everything for you. And if that means
I have to wait then I don’t care, Ruby. I’ll wait as long
as it takes.”

Remember
Me Now (It’s Kind of Personal #4.5)
–

One memory can repair
everything.

Lisa James’ perfect
world changed with a knock on her door. A widow for several years, she
struggled with the reality of her life and made bad choices in her
grief. But she’s done with that now. She moves away from
her once happy home to start anew, to remember who she really
is.

Nikolas Nervetti
isn’t going to talk about his problems. He’s not going to
share that even though he’s tough as nails on the outside, his heart
is more fragile than anyone would believe. He plays his parts well, never
revealing his truths, but he’s sick of being on the sidelines
watching everyone around him fall in love, while he remains
unsatisfied.

When the beautiful new
bartender at Kelly’s Pub leaves Nik short of breath, he
won’t to back down from something he knows they both want. Their
chemistry is undeniable, but Lisa promised not to put herself in a position to
be destroyed again.

An unfortunate accident leaves
Lisa with memory loss and she has to relive the excruciating pain of losing her
husband. Months pass with Lisa withdrawing from her current life, including
Nik. She denies the unfamiliar feelings he awakened in her, and spirals back
into destruction. Nik won’t let the woman he loves torture herself
anymore. Even if she doesn’t know who he is, Lisa is a target Nik
refuses to let out of his
sights.

I
go to the storage room to grab a case of beer and as I’m walking out
of the door, Nik walks in. Without saying anything, he grabs my face between
his hands and crushes his lips against mine. The case of beer lands on my foot
before I kick it off and stand stock still. His mouth works against mine, so
soft and strong and demanding. He coaxes me, sliding his tongue against my lips
and nipping at them, begging for me to let him in. Each second that I passes,
my resolve begins to wear and he senses it, pulling back to look into my
eyes.

“Kiss me back,
baby.”

My fingers vibrate with nerves
as I reach up and grab onto his arms, the warmth of his body seeping through
his shirt. My eyes close as he begins his descent and I hold my breath in
anticipation. His lips peck at mine and I open my mouth, allowing him in,
giving him permission to annihilate me. I stroke my tongue against his and moan
into him. His answering growl catches me off guard and makes my knees
weak.

With little effort on my part,
he backs me up into the shelves, glass bottles shake behind me. One of his
hands slides down from my face and glides over my ribcage, then back up again.
His thumb presses against my breast and when an involuntary shudder passes
through me, he takes that as invitation and slides his hand under my shirt.
When his calloused fingers rub against the silk of my bra, I pull away.
“Stop, Nik. I
can’t”

His
breath heavy and his eyes dark, he takes his hand out from under my shirt.
“Yes you can. You want it just as bad as I
do.”

There’s no denying
he’s right, but I’ll just continue to lie to him.
“I can’t.”

“Can’t or
won’t?”

“Both.
I can’t sleep with you because I won’t put myself in a
position to be destroyed again, and you might not know it, but you have that
power already.”

Anna began
writing when she thought the world would want to hear her sick lyrics through
song. Since then, she's realized her childhood dream wasn't so
far-fetched, just misguided. Now she writes romance with real emotions and
happy endings. If Anna isn't writing or reading, she
can be found by a space heater drinking a ridiculous amount of Diet Dr Pepper.
She also likes to hang out with her husband and two boys. If it wasn't
for them, she wouldn't ever leave the house. Anna was
born in Wisconsin but now lives in the Evergreen
State.